Video Essay – Alabama vs. Georgia: The Clash of the New Against the Old Alabama

Kirby Smart brings a team to Tuscaloosa that is modeled after Nick Saban, except Saban is no longer on the opposite sideline.

Smart won four national championships as Alabama's defensive coordinator under Saban before taking over as head coach at Georgia in 2016. With the Bulldogs, he built a program very similar to the one he helped Saban build over a decade ago.

Smart has won two SEC championships and two national titles with Georgia, although he has failed to beat only one team consistently over the past 10 years: Alabama. Smart is 1-5 against the Crimson Tide, including a loss in last year's SEC championship game that derailed the Bulldogs' bid for a third straight national title.

But Saban is no longer the coach and will likely be sitting in a luxury box in the sky at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night. Kalen DeBoer has taken over the helm and Alabama has not let up. With a 3-0 record and a fourth place national ranking, the team goes into the nationally televised duel in T-Town on Saturday night.

Georgia is also ranked No. 2 at 3-0 and, like Alabama, has a bye week to prepare for what will arguably be the most anticipated game of the 2024 season. ESPN's College GameDay crew, legendary Alabama quarterback Joe Namath and even former President Donald Trump will be among those taking in all the action and excitement.

To describe the scene, AL.com put together this video essay, written and narrated by Nick Kelly and produced by Clay Yeager. You can watch it via the YouTube link above.